One Christmas for Change
by NCISlover96
Summary: Tony and Ziva meet for Christmas. Tony confronts her about Somalia, things get heated and Ziva storms off. Tony shows up with an apology, a special gift, and a shoulder to lean on. Story is better than summery. Not too fluffy. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my ATTEMP at a Somalia story which means I am not sure if it is very good. So that is why I need you, my lovely readers, to tell me. It's set after the end of "False Witness", and I know this probably won't happen in the show but hey, a girl can dream****. Oh and this is a multi-chapter story, so maybe like 3 or 4 chapters**

**I do not own NCIS**

"You" Ziva growled at Tony as she was recovered from the explosion in her ears and the confetti soaring in the air.

Tony, who was grinning as he admired his handiwork at the last minute prank he put together to surprise his coworkers, looked at Ziva and his grin transformed into a frightened expression.

"Too much?" he asked in a slightly scared tone. After all, pissing of a highly lethal former-Mossad agent cannot end in a good way. Ziva slowly sat down as she glared at Tony, implying of an impending doom. Gibbs walked down the stairs from MTAC and as he passed Tony's desk, he gave the agent a head slap.

"Clean it up DiNozzo."

"On it Boss!" Tony hurriedly cleaned up his are and moved onto McGee's. "Hey McSlimJim, you mind cleaning up near Ziva's desk, I'm afraid she might impale me."

"Sorry Tony, it's your fault." After about five more minutes of pleading, Tony gave up and went to work near Ziva's desk. She didn't look at him as he sauntered his way over but when he knelt down to push the confetti into a small pile, he felt Ziva raise out of her chair and something slip into his pocket. She walked out of the bullpen and he made his way to his desk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. On it, in Ziva's crisp handwriting was "_Glad to see you are yourself again, but I will get payback DiNozzo._"

"_Ha, we will see about that Sweetcheeks" _thought Tony as he slid the note back into his pocket

The rest of the day went by pretty quick and uneventfully. It was the second to last day before they were all free to go on their Christmas vacations, tomorrow being Christmas Eve.

McGee was going to do pick up his sister and spend Christmas with his family. Gibbs was going back to Stillwater. Abby was going to Louisiana, Ducky to Boston, and even Jimmy had plans. Tony, for the first time in a long time, had no plans this Christmas.

_Unlike Ziva, _he thought bitterly.

"So Zee-vah, how are you spending your vacation? Heard you got plans with Mr. Miami Heat."

"How did you know about that Tony?" She asked with a suspicious tone in her voice. "And why do you want to know?" she asked.

"Fine then don't tell me, I was just creating conversation" he responded.

Ziva chuckled "As if you need any help for that. And for your information, I was going to visit my friend but something came up and he had to cancel. What about you, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Nothing much, probably staying at home with some movies or something." He didn't realize how sad that sounded until he said it out loud. A thought sprang to mind, "Hey, if you don't have any plans we should meet up." He suggested.

"Come over to my place around seven tomorrow and I will cook dinner for us and we can watch _It's a Wonderful Life_. It's part of the DiNozzo family tradition."

"Ok Tony. I will see you then."

He gave her his thousand watt smile and nodded. Ziva grabbed her coat and headed towards the elevator.

Christmas Eve was tomorrow and Tony still had work to do. This year he decided to do something special for the team. The "surprise" was just the warm-up; he wanted to do something that they would not forget, he was going to do it last year but Vance set up that Secret Santa. So he put his holiday bonus to good use this year and got the team gifts.

He walked out to the garage and opened the trunk of his car. Five neatly wrapped presents sat in the back corner and they were decorated beautifully. Tony picked them up carefully and made his way back to the elevator.

For Abby, he had a friend in forensics blow up pictures of bacterium and turn them into a collage to spell "Abby".

For Ducky, Tony got him a set of engraved golf clubs that the Scotsman had been speaking fondly off.

He left these gifts in the autopsy room and Abby's lab and he made his way back up to the bullpen. He walked first over to Gibbs desk and placed on his desk a set of hand wood carving tools engraved with Gibbs's name on the handles.

Then he made his way to McGee's desk. McGee was a tough one, he looked everywhere for something that he would like but settled on getting him typewriter ribbons and tapes and a personalized carrying case for his typewriter.

And last but not least he made his way over to Ziva's desk. He went through a lot of trouble for this one. It was a gold Star of David locket with small diamond in the middle. She had one already but this locket had his, McGee's, Gibbs's, Abby's, and Ducky's name engraved on the lines of the star. When he first thought of it he thought she would hate it for sure but Ziva was not the chocolates and perfume kind of girl. So he stuck with the locket. As he was about to place it on the desk, he remembered that e would be seeing her tomorrow after work anyway, so why not mess with her a little. He placed Ziva's gift back into his pocket and got ready to go home.

**So tell what you think and please, please, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW. Its soooo easy, you just click the review button and write a couple of words. You have no idea how happy reading reviews make me and if it's any incentive, my birthday is in a couple days. A review is a great present! **

**I love you all**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here is the next chapter! Hope that you guys like it! REVIEW. **

**I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, just this story line.**

Tony got to the office early the next day eager to see his coworkers reactions. The first one that got to the office was Abby who as soon as she saw the present ran upstairs to the bullpen and tackled Tony while he was at the filing cabinet next to his desk.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She yelled as she gave him a hug that threatened to crush his lungs.

"Glad you liked it Abbs." Tony gasped out. She let go of him and squealed. Tony gave her a grin and told her to calm down and go back down to the lab so wouldn't ruin the surprise for everyone else. The second _Ping _that Tony heard was from the elevator was from Ducky.

"Anthony!" he called out. "How did you know? Oh well never mind, thank you so much for the wonderful gift. I have been meaning to get myself a new pair of clubs and you got me exactly the ones that I wanted. Well my dear boy, I must return downstairs but once again, thank you very much!"

"Geez Ducky, can't believe you said that all in one breath. You're welcome, glad you liked them. You were talking about them a couple weeks back." Tony gave him a smile and Ducky returned to autopsy. It was about another fifteen minutes before anyone else entered the office. McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs all came out of the elevator together and McGee and Ziva were talking about some dream that McGee had. Gibbs was behind them, sipping at his coffee.

"Morning Tony, you're here early," said McGee as he walked by and sat down in his desk. Ziva however did not say anything as she sat down. She looked at McGee's desk and then over at Gibbs and she looked strangely crestfallen.

_Guess she noticed the present, _Tony thought slyly. He folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward, eagerly waiting. McGee was the first one to notice the package next to his desk. He picked it up, placed it on his desk and read the card. All Tony wrote on it was, _To Probie, _He glanced over at Tony who just gave him a small smile. He slowly opened the box and when he saw the gear inside, he looked up at Tony with a grin that could power the whole building.

Gibbs, who noticed McGee was grinning like an idiot digging through a box, also noticed the wrapped package next to his desk. He picked it and pulled out his knife and cut it open. As he looked through the contents inside, Tony saw a small smile seem to grow on their boss's face. He lifted out a chisel that had _L.J.G. _painted on the edge in gold letters. Abby chose that time to come bouncing out of the elevator and into the bullpen. When she saw that Gibbs and McGee had also gotten gifts, she bounded into the bullpen and practically yelled, "Whadya get?"

"Abby, come look," gestured McGee, still smiling.

"Aww, Timmy, that was nice of Tony." She squealed out. She turned around, "What did you get Gibbs?"

"DiNozzo got me boat tools," he said examining the remaining tools. Ziva who was quiet through this whole exchange was typing at her desk. Abby speed walked to her desk but stopped when she saw a lack of presents on her desk. She whirled around to face Tony with a questioning look.

"It is alright Abby, Tony and I have an agreement, no presents." Ziva said, but Tony could hear a slight tone of disappointment in her voice. She looked back over at her computer and started typing furiously. Abby was still looking at Tony who had just risen out of his chair and was walking to the bathroom. Abby took the hint and followed him. "Tony! Ziva?" she asked, slightly angry.

"Relax Abbs, I got her one." He pulled out the little box and opened the lid to reveal the locket resting inside. "Do you think she will like it?"

"It's beautiful Tony!"

"Here is the best part," he flipped it over to the back and showed her the engravings.

"Wow! It's so Ziva, wait why didn't you give it to her?"

"Well she is coming over later and I was going to surprise her tonight."

Realization dawned on Abby's face and with a sly tone she said, "Oh, I knew Jerry was right!"

"Jerry? What did he say?"

"Oh nothing, have fun with your….date" she said as she walked back to the elevators.

"It's not a date!" He yelled down the hallway, receiving many looks from passerbies.

He walked back to the bullpen and was surprised to see Ziva packing up and Gibbs's and McGee's desks empty.

"Gibbs said we could go home and to tell you Merry Christmas." Ziva said responding to the puzzled look on Tony's face.

"Huh, that's weird, must be excited to try out his new tools." He said with a smile in her direction, she gave him a smile and picked up her coat. "He Ziva, you are still coming over tonight, right?"

"Yes Tony, is something wrong, do you have other plans?" She asked in a stony voice.

"No of course not Zee-vah, I would never cancel on you. So same time then, seven?"

"Yes, I will see you then." And with that, she walked to the elevator.

Tony chuckled; he could see that the Israeli was disappointed. As much as she did not want to admit it, she too wanted a little gift from Tony. And as she walked through the garage, that was all she could think off. The happy smiles on McGee and Gibbs's faces as they saw what thoughtful present Tony had got for them were swimming before her eyes. She knew that it was childish to feel this way but she was jealous. _Well he did invite me over to his apartment, which is a kind gesture in itself. _She thought trying to reassure herself as she drove to her own apartment.

It was only ten and she still had 7 hours until she was supposed to be at his house. So on her way home, she stopped by the store to buy a bottle of wine for dinner tonight, no doubt in her mind that he would make her watch a movie, or multiple movies, that night. She went home and checked her messages. She had one from a Miami number.

_Hey Ziva, it's me and I just wanted to apologize again for canceling on you, I hope you have a great Christmas and I am looking forward to seeing you in a couple weeks. _

She made herself some lunch as she thought about the three days she was going to take off in a couple of weeks. Who knew comp time could come in handy? She ate her lunch and got a nice book to read to kill the time. At around 5, she turned on the TV as she got ready for her shower.

The hot water always calmed her down and there was nothing more in the world more relaxing. As she stepped out of the shower a silly but central thought came into her mind. What was she going to wear?

She did not want to appear too dressy but she did not want to seem like she did not care. But really, what did it matter, this was Tony. Then again, it was _Tony. _

She settled on a green top and some black slacks, by the time she got dressed it was already 6:15. She cleaned up her living room and her kitchen a little before she got her keys and started her way to Tony's house.

He was eagerly awaiting her arrival. His Christmas tree was in his living room and it was decorated beautifully, with the locket sitting under it. The pasta was cooking on the stove and everything was ready. He had even picked out the best Christmas movies to watch. Starting with the one and only, _It's a Wonderful Life. _At exactly 7, he heard knocking on his door.

He opened the door to reveal a striking Ziva, holding a bottle of wine in her hand.

"Come in Milady," he said as he opened the door completely to let her in. Ziva walked in and handed Tony the bottle, "For dinner." She said as she made her way into the kitchen.

"So Zee-vah, I hope you are hungry cause you are about to be blown away."

"Alright Tony, you seem more excited than usual, what did you do?" She followed her nose to the delicious aroma drifting through the room. She was feeling a lot happier and lighter as she made her way through his home, his cheerfulness rubbing off on her. She made her way past the living room and was amazed at the tree that was in the corner of the room. It was beautiful and fit in perfectly with the rest of the decorations.

"Hey Ziva-, oh I see that you found the tree. I love Christmas," he said with a sigh as he pulled her to the kitchen.

"Here sit down, he said as she practically pushed her into the dining room chair.

"Well someone is an eager groundhog," she said with a smirk as she settled into the chair.

"Its 'beaver' Ziva," he corrected "Groundhog." He mumbled disapprovingly. "It's just been a while since I have actually cooked for anyone, I think the last person was Jea-"he stopped midsentence. Ziva knowing what he was going to say quickly diverted the topic.

"Whatever it is Tony, it smells delicious." She said with an encouraging smile. He quickly regained his composure and took two plates and served them both a heaping helpful of his Chicken Pasta Carbonara and poured them both wine. Ziva who was waiting patiently, walked into the kitchen to see if he needed any help. She apparently surprised him because he let out a shriek. It was girly enough to even incite a giggle out of Ziva.

"Well, I see that your ninja moves have not been out of practice." He said sheepishly.

"Well Tony, maybe you are just becoming a little …old. In fact, I think I even see a couple of grey hairs," she responded with a teasing tone.

He reached up to touch his hair, "That was cruel Zi".

"Oh please Tony, don't be a little girl. Besides you look just like you did when we met." She said dismissing it with a wave. He raised an eyebrow as she sauntered back into the living room with her plate and glass in hand. He too made his way into his living room and put in the DVD, it felt like old times, when one of them would show up at the others house and order food and watch a movie. It was comforting.

The movie played and the two finished their dinner and were now watching the movie's happy ending. The credits started rolling so Tony stood up and took his and Ziva's plate back to the kitchen. She stood and followed him.

"You never talk about her." She stated softly, "I would not know but is it not better for you to talk about it?"

"You never ask," he stated bluntly. She walked up behind him and put her hand on his arm.

"Tony, if you ever do need to….talk, I am always there. Besides, it's time to confront your emotions, she's gone." She turned and was about to go back to the living room when he said, "You never talk about it either."

"What?"

"I said that you never talk about _it _either."

"I heard you Tony, I meant what do you mean" Ziva said with a stony look on her face.

"You know damn right what I mean Ziva; don't tell me to confront my feelings when you can't even confront your own!" Tony knew he should stop talking, he knew what he was saying was wrong but Ziva knew that Jeanne was still a hard thing to talk about for Tony and when she mentioned her, something flared up inside him and was apparently taking over his mouth. He knew that Ziva disapproved of Jeanne, he just never understood why.

"Tony, you are out of line."

"No Ziva, c'mon, since we are all sharing our feelings here, why don't you talk!" Tony was surprised at his tone, it was almost scary.

"Tony, please." She sounded cold.

"Talk." He growled.

At this, she exploded. "What, what do you want me to say? Huh, Tony, what is it that you want to hear? How I felt when you killed Rivkin! How I felt when Gibbs left me in Israel! You know what, if it was not for you, I probably would not have even ended up in that hellhole!" Her chest was heaving up and down as she gasped for breaths after her declaration.

"What?"

She sighed. "I'm sorr-"

"Did you mean what you just said?" he whispered. She was about to say no but he interrupted her again

"How could you say that?" he yelled out at her. "I was trying to watch out for you and you think that I wanted to hurt you!" he voice practically shook the room. The look on his face was enough for even Ziva to take a step back. She had never in her life seen him this angry before. She was flashing back to her cell in Somalia, to the look on Saleem's face when she didn't give him what he wanted, that look was on Tony right now and it scared her how inhumane it looked. Her spine sent a shiver of fear through her body.

Tony on the other hand had just noticed Ziva's face. He was appalled at the fear he saw, she looked like a cornered animal. He saw her shiver and saw her eyes fill with tears of horror. He realized what he had done and remembered where he saw that look before. She was like this when Saleem was about to shoot Tony's brains out of his head. He saw his reflection in the T.V. behind him and immediately understood why Ziva had reacted like that. He looked like a monster.

Ziva was now slowly making her way to the door, her eyes glued to Tony's face.

"Oh no, Ziva I'm sorry." He tried to reach out for her hand but she turned around and walked to the door. He stayed rooted to the spot.

"Ziva, please, I didn't mean it, I didn't mean to scare you. Please Ziva." He whispered her name and she stopped for a second to look around at him. He saw a tear drift down her face and then she was gone. This night defiantly did not go the way he planned.

**Don't worry, there is defiantly TIVA on the way. I know that you guys must hate me know cause of the very long time between my update and I apologize for that. But I will continue this story to the end. And you know what would make that process a whole lot easier, REVIEWS. So pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top, review this chapter and tell me how you felt. Think of it as you venting. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here you guys go, new chapter, quicker update! Don't forget to share your thoughts!**

**I do not own NCIS**

The dishes were still sitting in the sink, the wine still on the table, and the end credits of _It's a Wonderful Life _were rolling on the screen. On the sofa sat a very distressed Tony with his head in his hands. The anger he felt towards Ziva had disappeared as soon as she shut his front door as she stormed out. Now all he felt was regret. He had barely ever seen Ziva cry before, it was unnatural. Ziva who was always so tough and strong and not afraid of anything had shown fear. There was fear in her eyes as she looked at him and it disgusted him that he was the cause. It was like he had no control over what he was saying, he would never say that, ever. He stood up with a newfound anger, not at Ziva, at himself. She was his partner and he had yelled at her enough to frighten her and make her cry!

He took out his cell phone and dialed the number one speed dial. It rang for what seemed to be forever before he heard the voicemail greeting. He tried again and again but there was no answer.

_Damn_, he thought to himself as he pocketed his phone and grabbed his keys. The last time Ziva didn't pick up her phone, she was being held hostage in a cell.

The drive to Ziva's was too long for Tony's liking. The snow made it hard to see and the ice on the roads made it so that he could not even drive very fast.

When he finally made it to her apartment, his heart leapt at the sight of her parked car in the parking lot. But then it occurred to him that even if she was home, she probably was not going to let him in. He decided he would just make things up as her went along and walked into the apartment buildings lobby. He barely noticed the attractive blond at the reception desk who was now trying very hard to get his attention. All he cared about right now was Ziva.

"I need a room number" he asked the receptionist.

"Mine's available" she added seductively.

Tony scowled and replied, "It's my girlfriends, and I want to give her my Christmas present, so yeah, back to the room. Her name is Ziva."

The blond grimaced as she typed on her computer. "Miss David-"

"It's Dah-veed" he corrected. He knew how annoyed Ziva got when people pronounced her name wrong.

"Miss David is in room 802 on the fourth floor."

He turned around and walked toward the elevator.

"It's broken" the receptionist said with ice in her voice.

"Great" he mumbled as he turned to his left and thrust open the doors to the stairs. Flights 1, 2, and 3 blurred before his eyes as he ran up the stairs. He slowed down as he approached the door to the fourth floor. Ziva's room was right down the hall and as he was about to knock, he glanced through the little glass pane on the side of the door he saw that the light was on, and that there was a pile of broken glass and a small pool of blood was surrounding it.

_Damn it, _he thought as he pounded on the door calling out Ziva's name. He was surprised that the neighbors had not come out to investigate yet.

_These must be really thick walls, _he thought.

Finally seeing no other option, he backed up a few steps, ran full speed at the door, and hoped and prayed that Ziva would not kill him. The impact of his shoulder to the door resulted in a big, sharp bang as the locks broke of the door and it swung open.

He had not been in Ziva's new apartment yet and even though the situation at hand was at the front of his mind, the special agent side of him took in every detail of what he could see. Her living room was cozy and had the lived in look. In the hall was a big bookcase filled to the last crevice and a couch that was pushed up against the wall. There was also a polished coffee table and a flat screen television in the room. He noticed on the coffee table, a bottle of Malt.

_Great, a drunken Ziva. _He thought sarcastically.

He knew that Ziva was still home because of the car he saw in the parking lot, but there was no other sound besides his footsteps in the apartment. A frightening thought crept up on him as he walked through the apartment, what if something had gone wrong?

What if she was attacked?

What if she got drunk and wandered out?

What if?

_Calm down DiNozzo, you're losing it._

He was walking through the hallway, slowly, looking in every room. Double checking to make sure he had not missed anything. Finally as he entered the master bedroom, he noticed that a door off to the side was slightly open with the light shining through.

He noticed that next to her bed, there was a small table with a first aid kit on it. Yet there was no sign of it being opened or being currently used.

As he slowly pushed open the door, he first saw red. Ziva's arm was lying next to the sink, her hand right above it. There was a deep gash on her palm that was oozing out blood. Ziva herself was sitting on the toilet seat with her head lying on her arm. Though her eyes were open, they were drooping. She was pale and she looked so frail sitting there.

Suddenly, anger flared inside of Tony. How dare she do this to herself? What right did she have to hurt herself like this? He was angry. Angry at Ziva, angry at himself, angry at everything.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" he growled out.

Ziva, who had just taken notice of his presence, lifted her head slightly and looked at him.

"What are _you _doing here Tony?" Even though her voice was small, he could hear the malice in it.

"Apparently, I'm saving you."

"I do not need saving, just go away. I can take care of myself. I am fine." Her words contradicted her actions. As she spoke, her eyes drooped even lower and she closed them entirely. Her head plopping down on her arm again.

Tony who had not been expecting this was shocked as he knelt down before her, anger disappearing.

"Ziva?" he asked in a worried voice. He put two fingers to her pulse and realized that she had only fainted.

A wave of relief flooded through him as he looped one arm under her knees and another around her torso. He took her over to her bed but realizing that her hand was still bleeding, he grabbed the first aid kit and went back to the bathroom.

He sat down on the floor and leaned Ziva against him. He cleaned her wound and winced when she let out a small whimper of pain as she came out of her spell. He was worried about her reaction but she ended up just closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep right away. He noticed that her first aid kit was a lot more advanced than a regular one. She had stitches and a numbing gel in there as well. He knew that Ziva hated hospitals, but he did not know that she could stitch up wounds herself. Since he didn't know how, he called Ducky.

It was hard to hear over the music but he finally got the necessary instructions from a highly intoxicated Ducky. As he finished wrapping up the wound, he was quite proud of himself as he admired his handiwork. Then something surprising happened, she snuggled into him and let out a content sigh. He felt shivery as he looked down at her face. Had he really brought tears to such a beautiful face mere hours before? She looked like an angel when she was sleeping, her eyes shut, not full of worry. He lips curving up in the tiniest of smiles. But the daze that Tony had fallen into was lost as she let out a little snort.

_Liar. After all this time you still snore. _He recalled in his head when he used to tease her about it so much that she had promised him one day that she was never going to snore again. How he remembered that he didn't know.

He picked her up again and this time, he laid her on the bed, pulling up the covers over her curled up body.

He cleaned up in the bathroom and then went into the living room again. He picked up the glass, but the stain in the carpet was not completely coming out. He gave up on it and put the bottle of Malt back in a cabinet. He didn't know what to do next; he could not just leave her, not after what happened. Things were just way out of hand to just leave. He had an overnight bag in the trunk of his car for cases, but as he made his way down the stairs, he thought of Ziva's reaction to seeing him in her bathroom and feared her reaction to him on her couch.

_No, ouch_

_No, *cringe*_

_No, damn it!_

Sleeping on Ziva's couch was not the experience he thought it would be. How the hell did she even sit on this thing? He knew what his other option was. He also knew that if he chose that other option, there was a good chance that there would be no little DiNozzo's running around. Ever. He had to choose soon, because his back could not handle much more of this pain!

Ziva was sound asleep as he slowly made his way into her room. She was curled up on the right side of the bed so there was the whole other half, just his for the taking.

_Don't unleash your ninja skills now, it's late and I'm tired, _he pleaded mentally.

Ziva, who was apparently searching for a source of warmth, curled up against Tony as soon as he settled himself under the covers.

It was the first time that Tony had seen Ziva act so un-Ziva like and it astonished him. But just because it was new, didn't mean he didn't like it.

That was a good night for Tony; he slept more comfortably than he had in a while.

_Must be the mattress, _he told himself as Ziva drew herself even closer to him.

_Yeah, the mattress, _he repeated with a small smile.

**Ok, so confrontation chapter coming up next! So what do you guys think of it? Reviews are as always appreciated and very well adored. Like seriously, you guys have no idea how much each of them makes my day! It just makes me want to write and write. Sadly, school gets in the way of that so I lose my resolve. But I updated quicker so that's a plus!**

**Hey you know what you guys should do! WATCH YOUNG JUSTICE!**

**It's the bestest show on Earth, besides NCIS, and I love it! Just because a cartoon does not make it less awesome. At the beginning, I was kind of embarrassed about watching it, but you guys would love it! I can't wait for April 8 when they start airing again! You guys should watch too and if you want to catch up just watch it on YouTube! That's what I did! But seriously, review this chapter and then watch YOUNG JUSTICE! Ask me if you cant find it and I will tell you what to type (Just watch and tell me if you don't have a tiny crush on Superboy, even though he is a cartoon ;)**


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